Canada is not a referee in the world, John Baird says

OTTAWA — Canada is not an “even-handed referee” in the world and will be no more of an honest broker with those who support terrorism than it was with fascism and communism, says Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird.

In a wide-ranging, end-of-year interview with Postmedia News on Friday, Baird said the Harper government won’t tolerate excuses for those who engage in terrorist activities, and that Canada will continue supporting right over wrong.

He also offered no apologies for actions like supporting Israel, condemning Iran or criticizing the United Nations — even if it means an added danger to Canadians travelling abroad with maple leafs on their backpacks.

“We cannot be afraid to take difficult decisions for fear of consequences,” Baird said.

“We’ve taken a very hard-line on Iran because the regime is inciting genocide. It’s an anti-semitic regime that denies the Holocaust, which backs terrorism. I suppose if we kept quiet, some would think that would be better.”

The Harper government has often been accused of squandering Canada’s hard-earned reputation as a bridge-builder and moderating influence in the world.

This is nowhere more evident than in the Middle East where the Conservatives have made Canada one of the world’s strongest supporters of Israel after successive governments sought to take a more balanced approach.

For Baird, however, there is no other choice but to support Israel as long as it finds itself under threat from countries like Iran and terrorist groups like Hamas.

This, he argues, is the real traditional Canadian foreign policy.

“Some people see Canada as being a great even-handed referee,” Baird said during the interview at Foreign Affairs headquarters.

“Well, we’re not a referee. We have a side. The side is freedom. The side is human rights. The side is open economies. And I think that’s what people expect us to stand up for.”

Baird relates the story of his grandfather who joined the military after university in 1942 to fight in the Second World War before staying on with the Canadian Forces through much of the Cold War.

“The great struggles in his generation were fascism and communism,” Baird said of his grandfather.

“In both those struggles, Canada was not trying to be an honest broker between the Germans and the British. We were not trying to be an honest broker between Washington and Moscow. We took a principled position.”

The great struggle now is international terrorism, Baird said, and Canada will not back down from it either.

Some will point out that whereas fascism and communism were ideologies, international terrorism is considered a means to an end.

For example, they would say, the reason some Palestinians have turned to Hamas is because of frustration at the slow pace of peace negotiations with Israel, which have dragged on for decades.

Baird rejects such “moral relativism.”

“(When others say) ‘Well, I know this group is involved with terrorism. And I know they’re targeting civilians and women and children. But you know, they’ve had a tough life and we should understand where they’re coming from.’ Well I don’t understand. If you’re supporting an international terrorist organization, we don’t support you.

“I’m not one to say that the people that inspired the 9/11 bombings were somehow misunderstood or somehow lashing out against their place in the world. We take a stand against international terrorism and we’re quite tough about it.”

Baird was similarly unapologetic about the Harper government’s actions at the United Nations, including criticizing the world body for censuring Canada while allowing countries like North Korea to chair a committee on nuclear disarmament.

Some, including one Conservative backbencher, have suggested Canada would be better off leaving the UN, where Canada and its allies are often in the minority.

Baird said no one in government is seriously contemplating Canada quitting the world body, which he maintained does great work like aiding tens of thousands of Syrian refugees who have fled their war-torn country.

But he said the government will not refrain from criticizing the UN when and where required, or working to contain the influence of human rights violators and other troublesome countries.

“North Korea chairing a conference on disarmament at the United Nations is bad,” he said. “It’s not black or white. It’s bad. It’s not right. When Iran steps up to the plate on human rights, that’s bad.

“So we’re not perfect in Canada. At the same time, we may be wrong, but we’re not on the side of wrong. And the influence that some of these countries try to exert, we call them on it.”